A four-game winning streak came to a roaring halt after the Avila University Eagles beat the men’s basketball team for the second time this season in a 77-75 overtime loss on Saturday.
The Wildcats, who had won their last three conference games, gave the Eagles the second of their only two conference wins thus far.
“We had our chances but didn’t get enough stops or rebounds to pull the thing out,” head coach Rick Weaver said. “We didn’t shoot particularly well against Avila, and that was a factor as well.”
With one minute left, the Eagles tied up the game, only to go down and have a jump ball called with under one second left in regulation.
During overtime, both teams played evenly until the last seconds when the Wildcats were forced to shoot a long three.
“I’d say as a team we didn’t play well,” senior DJ Watkins said. “We each had individual mistakes; it wasn’t any one person’s fault. It was a team effort, and I would give credit to Avila because even though their record isn’t that great, they really played hard, and we failed to match their intensity.”
Junior Andy Hannon led the team with 13 points, while Watkins and senior Nate Pedrow both had 11. Junior Aaron Toren put up 10 along with senior Greg Allen.
Only two days before, the Wildcats beat long-time rival William Jewell College, 72-67, in Collins Center. The Wildcats lost to the Cardinals earlier in the season.
The two teams played back and forth until the Cardinals went on a 15-4 scoring run. The Wildcats slowly jumped back into the game by capitalizing on the Cardinals’ turnovers.
“Jewell, for us, was a real team win,” Toren said. “Everyone contributed to the win. Beating Jewell is a highlight of my time at Baker so far.”
The Wildcats shot 91 percent from the free-throw line, hitting 22-24 from the charity stripe.
“We did a good job rebounding and keeping Jewell from getting second shots,” Weaver said.
Toren had a career high of 15 points. Watkins and junior Dain Dillingham scored 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
On Jan. 11, the Wildcats pulled out yet another tough win against Missouri Valley College, 78-75. Three days before, they put up another win against Texas A&M International, 65-57.
“Against Missouri Valley, William Jewell and Texas A&M International, we were able to make some key plays late to preserve wins,” Weaver said.
Jan. 6 brought the Wildcats an easy 88-66 victory over Culver-Stockton College after a 64-54 loss against Benedictine College on Jan. 4.
“We’ve got a tough stretch ahead with a number of road games and make-up games on the schedule,” Weaver said. “On the men’s side, there are really no weak teams, and every game is going to be a test.”
The Wildcats matched up against MidAmerica Nazarene University Thursday in Olathe. Results were unavailable at press time. The Wildcats will travel to Evangel University Monday.hitting 22-24 from the charity stripe.
“We did a good job rebounding and keeping Jewell from getting second shots,” Weaver said.
Toren had a career high of 15 points. Watkins and junior Dain Dillingham scored 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
On Jan. 11, the Wildcats pulled out yet another tough win against Missouri Valley College, 78-75. Three days before, they put up another win against Texas A&M International, 65-57.
“Against Missouri Valley, William Jewell and Texas A&M International, we were able to make some key plays late to preserve wins,” Weaver said.
Jan. 6 brought the Wildcats an easy 88-66 victory over Culver-Stockton College after a 64-54 loss against Benedictine College on Jan. 4.
“We’ve got a tough stretch ahead with a number of road games and make-up games on the schedule,” Weaver said. “On the men’s side, there are really no weak teams, and every game is going to be a test.”
The Wildcats matched up against MidAmerica Nazarene University Thursday in Olathe. Results were unavailable at press time. The Wildcats will travel to Evangel University Monday.